On the delay in a multiple-access system with large propagation delay

Abstmct-The effect that large Propagation delay has on the problem of network access is explored for the infinite population model with success-idle-collision feedback information, where the feedback information suffers a large propagation d&y N. A simple lower bound is given on the PrObeMlity that a packet is not successfully transmitted within N / 2 time units (not including the fomrd propagation delay), where N is the station-tostation propagation delay. The bound implies a lower bound on the mean access delay. We also display an algorithm for which the transmission delay is within a factor of three of the lower bound, for moderate trdic loads and asymptotically large propagation delay.